924Board.org

timstar924 · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 284

I live in richmond bc and i have a really stiff clutch pedal that i don't want to touch myself i wan to take it to a mechanic in my area to take a look at it and fix the problem. the thing is i don't want to take it somewhere where they screw it up or overcharge me to fix the problem. I have looked in my yellow pages of shops in my area, there seems to be no volkwagen or audi shops in my are or even ones specificly for german cars. There are shops that state that they are specialized in domestics as well as imports such as vw, audi, mercedes but that means nothing almost every shops says they work on all domestics and imports. My clutch seems to engage and disengage fine but the clutch pedal is extremely hard to press down and not nomal don't know what could be causing it. the previous owner had no clue he told me to check the hydraulic clutch fluid but this car doesn't have a hydraulic clutch. I don't want something to break in traffic that would be bad. Also can a fix like this be expensive?

Khal · Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2004 5:39 pm Post subject:

Probably cheaper to buy the tools to do the job, including a hoist, than to get a mechanic to do it!

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'80 924 Turbo

timstar924 · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 284

i have barely any mechanical knowledge and never worked on cars before so i can't do it myself.

JP Shelton · Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2004 8:20 pm Post subject: Everybody starts somewhere

Timstar,

If you take the "t" off of the word "can't", you might be surprised at all of the things that you CAN do. But if you leave that "t" on there, you'll never know!

-JP
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Life..... Powered By Porsche

Chrenan · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 3903 Location: Canada

You pretty much have to do it yourself. Clutch kit is $300 US, add labour to that and it quickly becomes expensive. Plus, when you take time and do things yourself, you may end up with a better job than a professional...
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1987 951 - M193 Version for Japan

-nick · Joined: 16 Nov 2002 Posts: 2699 Location: Cambridge, MA

Once again, all you need is a new clutch cable. Buy the cable. Take it to any mechanic and he will be done in about a half hour. Or buy a couple wrenches and do it yourself. Even the most mechanically challenged can figure it out in an hour.

If you keep driving on the old cable you will fatigue the firewall until the metal cracks and run the possibility of getting stuck from your cable not releasing the clutch.

-nick

timstar924 · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 284

how do you know it is the clutch cable for sure it might be something else binding. Also where can i get a clutch cable for a 78 other than the web. i couldn't even find one on the web for a 78 on the web, plus i don't have a credit card to order one.

D Hook · Joined: 02 Nov 2002 Posts: 3158 Location: Omaha, NE

WOW!

Have you bought a Haynes manual yet? That might help you diagnose the clutch problem.

Performance Products has them. So does Pelican. Do a google search for "924 clutch cable". Use the quotes. It'll bring up all sorts of places to buy from. You do have access to google, right?

timstar924 · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 284

i searched on google and there aren't many places and there is only one place buya clutch.com that sells a 76-82 clutch cable for 50 u.s. All the other ones stated that its for a 79- or 80- is the clutch cable different on the 79. Also how do i know if the one on buyaclutch.com is correct and they don't say that they ship to canada.

D Hook · Joined: 02 Nov 2002 Posts: 3158 Location: Omaha, NE

Ask them. They can let you know the answers to both those questions.

Have you asked around at local stores like NAPA? Usually they can order it in for you.

Good luck.

D Hook · Joined: 02 Nov 2002 Posts: 3158 Location: Omaha, NE

Here's a brand new one on ebay for a '79 for about $45 plus shipping.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7912195358&category=33730&sspagename=WDVW

BTW, go on ebay and do a search for "924 cable" and you'll find the hood cable you're needing, too.

Khal · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2004 12:29 pm Post subject:

I was only kidding timstar924. I'm the same as you; Little practical mechanical knowledge.

But I wasn't kidding about the cost of tools vs. the cost of a mechanic! Unless you can get some serious mates-rates, it's gonna cost you.

Me? I'd give it shot myself. But I'm lucky 'cause I've got a few friends who are reasonably experienced working on cars... one's actually a mechanic by trade!
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'80 924 Turbo

timstar924 · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 284

i'm 19 and this is my second car and i have never worked on cars and don't have tools. I think i would need to take some kind of mechanics course or have someone help to do anything. I can't just use a haynes manual when i don't know what diff parts of the engine etc are called and what they do exactly. I seriously don't even know how the different parts of a car operate like i don't even know how the brake system or engine operates i just have a basic idea of how a car works. Yes its funny go ahead laugh.

timstar924 · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 284

i'm going ot go to lordco and ask if they can get me a clutch cable. I asked for a exhaust system for the 924 and lordco told me there is only one company that makes it and it comes to 1 grand for the exhaust and he said it was a shitty quality exhaust too.

Khal · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2004 2:15 pm Post subject:

Don't worry too much, mate. We've all gotta start somewhere...

The good thing is that what the others say is true, you'd be surprised how easy some stuff is to do. What you need most is time and patience - oh yeah, and good information. Unless you've got a lot of money

Now, I've never changed a clutch cable. Hell, I don't even know where it is. But what I'd do first is get two wheel ramps and two jack-stands. You need to get the car elevated so you can have a good look'round and work underneath it easily. Back the car up so the rear wheels go up on the wheel ramps, then jack the front up and support it with jack-stands (or vice-versa). Now you can get underneath it easily! (and don't forget to put some blocks of wood or something next to the jack-stands, to take the load in case they fail while you're underneath!)
Don't forget to do this in an area with enough space to move around the car, open the doors, hood, etc. Put down an old rug or blanket or something to lie on, as well. If you've got a flat trolley, so much the better. And make sure you're not working outside in winter or something stupid like that. You'll wanna be comfortable, otherwise you'll get frustrated quickly.
And you're probably gonna need a couple of portable lights, so you can see what you're doing when you're under the car.
Now comes the bit where you need good information. You need to know where the cable comes from and where it goes. I don't know. But it'll be in the Haynes manual so get one if you haven't already. Or someone on the 'board can probably tell you - maybe even post pictures.
Once you know where it is, take a good, long look at it! It should become obvious how it works but if not, just ask here, they'll tell you. You wanna have a good understanding of what needs to be done before you pull it all apart - things like: Do I need to remove any other parts to get to it? What tools will I need to remove it? (usually just spanners, by the way) What process do I use to remove/refit it i.e. is it important that I undo a particular end of the cable first, then the other? Or does the clutch need to be engaged to remove the cable? Things like that...
I reckon after you've had a good, long look at it, it'll seem much less daunting. And as long as you know the proper procedure for removal/refit -which is often not that complicated -you'll find most of the work is usually just a case of undoing nuts and bolts and then doing them back up again!

Don't be afraid to ask questions here, and have patience. Make sure you've got plenty of time - don't start working on it Sunday evening if you need the car to get school or work on Monday morning. Jack the car up one weekend and have a look at it, identify the part(s) and see what might be involved. Then plan a time to get work on it. And don't be surprised/p*ssed off it you break something (unlikely) or lose a washer or whatever. Make sure you've got time and the means to get to the auto parts store or hardware and get another.

Patience, my son. Patience. Good Luck.

P.S. Even if it turns out you really can't do it yourself, at least if you've had look at and identified the part(s) and seen how it works, you're not as likely to get ripped off if a mechanic does it for you. You'll know basically what's involved. You may even be able to source the part(s) yourself and save some money there - mechanics will overcharge you.
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'80 924 Turbo